Reversible lifeboat or raft



Jan. 9, 1945. G K 2,367,112

REVERSIBLE LIFEBOAT OR RAFT Filed Sept. 1, 194:5 2 Sheets-sheet 2 Patented Jan. 9, 1945 Application September 1, 1943,Serial No. 500,766

'In Great Britain August 12, 1942 2 Claims.

This invention relates to-a reversible lifeboat I or raft of the type-describedin the specifications of Letters Patent Nos. 1,241,367 and 1,730,363 and has for its object to enable greater speed to be attained. i

With this object the construction of the improved reversible lifeboat or raft is similar to that described in specification No. 1,730,363 but watertight compartments are-arranged at the stem and stern and extend up to'the level of the top of the coaming and both of the decks have their ends curving away from one another up to the tops ofsaid' watertight compartments, that is to say, the curves of that deck whichffor the time being, is uppermost lead to the tops of the watertight compartments.

in addition it is desirable that the tops of the watertight compartments at the stem and stern should rise from their junctions with the curved parts of the decks to said stem and stem respectively and that an internalcombustion engine of the horizontally opposed cylinder type should be disposed betweendecks for driving a propeller arranged in a suitable space between or surrounded by watertight compartments at the stern, said propeller being driven by a Cardan shaft with means whereby the inclination of said Cardan shaft to the crankshaft of the engine may be varied accordingto which deck of the lifeboator raft is, for thetime being, uppermost.

Thelifeboat or raft may also be built with an external belt of buoyancy-tanks symmetrically disposed above and below itsmedian horizontal plane The accompanying drawings illustrate one form' of lifeboat constructed in accordance with this invention, Figure 1 being a longitudinal section on a median vertical planeof the'boat:

Figure 2 is a corresponding planvieW, the upper half of the figure being inelevation, and the lower half insection; Figure 3 is a side elevation;

Figure 4.- is an elevation fromthe stern and'Figure 5 is a transverse midship section of the boat. The structure'comprisesa pair or main side walls H, II (Figs. 2 and 5) extendingfrom the stem post l2 (Figs. 1,2 and 3)-of theboat to the stern thereof and converging towards one another at each end; a'normally upper .deck l4 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5)- and a normally lower deck l5 separated from one another by a space It (Figs.

- 1 and 5) constituting, in the main, a central buoyancy chamber of such depth that the temthe latter is afloat; transverse bulkheads I1 and 18 towards the ends, serving to separate the corresponding end spaces l9 and 2|] from the remainder of the interior of the boat; closures 2| and 22 for the upper and lower sides of said end spaces I9 and 20; pairs of longitudinal seats or shelves 23, 23 (Figs. 1 and 2) projecting inwardsv from. the respective main side walls II, II, each such-seat or shelf extending lengthwise between the transverse bulkheads l1 and I8, and pairs of lateral inner walls 25, 25 (Figs. 2 and 5) spaced apart from the respective main side walls H, H

of the boat and extending lengthwise substantially parallel to one another between said transverse bulkheads so as to bound thedecks l4 and I5 laterally, said lateral inner walls extending depth'wise between the longitudinal seats or shelves 23, 23in the respective sections of the boat, That space at'each side of the boat which is bounded by the main side wall I I, the adjacent lateral inner wall 25, the longitudinal seat or shelf 23 and the transverse bulkheads l1 and I8,

thus constitutes a lateral buoyancy chamber 26, which extends throughout substantiallythe entire depth of the boat structure.

The'two lateral buoyancy chambers 26,26 and the central buoyancy chamber [6 serveto house a plurality of hermetically-sealed air-tanks,

formed of sheet metal, which are shaped to fit the chambers andare adapted to maintain the buoyancy of the boat practically unimpairedin the event of the structure of the boat being so injured as to allow water to gain admittance to the interior. These air-tanks are indicated in the drawings in dot-and-dash lines.

,The stem compartment l9 houses watertight buoyancy tanks also shown in dot-and-dash lines in the drawings.

, upper well-of the boat. I l

porarily upper deck remains above the normal surface level of the water outside the boat when 21 are vertical tubes connecting together apertures in the respective decks l4 and I5 (Figs. 1

and 5) and fitted with valves of known type adapted, on the one hand, to permit the escape of air frorn'within whichever well of the boat happens to be submerged, and, on the other hand,.to permit any water to drain from the then It :will be observed from Figure 1 that both decks l4 and 15 extend lengthwise'the entire distance between the transverse bulkheads I1 and I8, and, whilst flat at the central parts of their lengths they slope gradually .at each end lengthwise away from one another so as to ter minate at each end, at the level of the adjacent edges of the closures 2| and 22, which latter slope upwards further to the stem and stern so that the end spaces 19 and 20 extend up to the level of the top of the coaming or gunwale 28 forming an extension of the main side wall H and extending throughout the entire length of the boat between the closures 2| and 22. As shown in Figure the coamings or gunwales 28 slope upwardly and inwardly.

30 are thwarts in the normally upper and lower sections of the boat and 33, 33 are central keelboards (Figs 1 and5).

The end spaces I 9 and 20 of the boat may be fitted with water-tight cases of metal for containing bread and water, radio equipment or other stores, suitable hatches (not shown) atfording access to these cases from both wells of the boat. All the usual fittings of a'sea-goin-g open boat may be provided, but are omitted-from the drawings as being well understood.

At the stern end of the buoyancy chamber [5 between the decks l4 and i5 (Figs. land 5) there is mounted an internal combustion engine 3'! having horizontally opposed cylinders, the shaft 38 of which passes through a suitable water-tight packing 39 in the transverse bulkhead I! and is connected by a universal joint 40 with a propeller shaft 4| the after end of which is rotatably and slidably mounted in a bearing block 42 pivoted to a nut on a vertical screwed shaft 44 carried by bearings 45, 45 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3). On the shaft 44 are bevel wheels, 46 which mesh with bevel wheels 41, 41 on shafts 48, 48 (Fig. l) which extend forwardly, through the transverse bulkhead H into the buoyancy chamber I6 where they are provided with hand wheels 49, 49, the arrangement being such that by turning the appropriate hand wheel (if necessary) the position of the propeller shaft 41 may be reversed to bring a propeller 50 on said shaft below water level. 5!, 5| are water-tight hatches in the decks l4, 15 to give access to the engine -37 and the hand wheels 49, 49, and 52 is a guard forthe vertical shaft (Figv 1).

The main side walls I l, i I- are cut away somewhat above and below the median horizontal plane of the boat to admit water to that part of the end :space t9 in which the propeller 5D is operative, and it will be seen that thewatertight cases in the end space l9 are shaped to leave sufficient room for the raising and lowering of the propeller shaft If and are provided with tubes :53 therethrough to give passage to the shafts -48, 48.

As shown in Figures ,2 and 5 additional buoyancy chambers 54 are formed outside the main side walls H, H by rounded subsidiary or outer walls 55, 55 and horizontal partitions 56, '55. Here again, water-tight buoyancy tanks are indicated in dot-and-dash lines.

It isto be observed that as compared with the reversible lifeboat or raft described :and illustrated in specification No. 1,730,363 the improved reversible lifeboat or raft-is symmetrical about its median horizontal .plane, and the arrangement of the decks makes forgreaterspeed.

I claim:

1. A reversible boat of the general type where in, in efiect two open boats are so united bottomto-bottom as to constitute conjointly a single structure capable of floating either way upwards; the structure comprising in its depth two sections constituting respectively the normally upper or erect section and the normally lower or inverted section, separated from one another by a space constituting a central buoyancy chamber of such depth that the temporarily upper deck remains above the normal surface level of water outside the boat when the latter is afloat, each of which sections, when upturned, presenting an open well ,for the accommodation of passengers, means for permitting the escape of air from within which- .ever well of the boat happens to be submerged and for drainingwater from the then erect well, watertight tanks disposed in compartments arranged at the stem and stern of the boat and extending up to the level of tops of the wells, the bottoms or decks of said wells curving away from one another and from said central buoyancy chamber up to the tops of said compartments, an internal combustion engine disposed between the curved parts of said bottoms or decks at the stem end of .the boat, a propeller arranged in a space at the stern end of the boat and surrounded by the Watertight tanks in said compartments, a, Cardan shaft "connecting said propeller with said "engine,'and means for varying the inclination of the Cardan shaft to the crankshaft of said engine.

2. A reversible boatof the general type wherein, in effect, two open boats are so united bottomto-bottom as toaconsti-tute conjointly a single structure-capable of floating either way upward; the structure comprising in its'depthtwo sections constituting respectively the normally upper or erect section and the normally lower or inverted section, separated from one another by a space constituting-a central buoyancy chamber of such depth that the temporarily upper deck remains above the normal surface level of water outside the bo'atwhen the latter is afloat, each of which sections, when upturned, presenting an open well for the accommodation passengers, means for permitting the escape of air from within whichever- -wel-l'of the boat happens to be submerged and for draining water from the then erect well, watertight tanks disposed in compartments arranged at the stemand stern of the boat and extending upto the level of tops of the wells, the bottoms or decks of said wells curving away from one another and from said central buoyancy chamber up to the upper parts of said compartments, said compartments having tops which rise upwards from their junctions with thebottoms or'decks of the wells to the stem and stem of the boat, respectively, aninternal combustion engine disposed :between the curved parts of said bottoms or decks at the stem end of theboat, a'propeller arranged'in a space at the stern'end of the boat and surrounded by the watertighttanks in" said compartments, a Cardan-shaft connecting said propeller with said engine, and means for-varying the-inclination of the Cardan :shaft to the crankshaft of said engine.

HAROLD AUGUSTUS 'GASKIN. 

